Flutist Leslie Timmons and clarinetist Nicholas Morrison have performed as the duo ~AirFare~ since 1992. One of only three classical music ensembles funded in 1999 by the United States Information Agency’s American Artists Abroad Program, ~AirFare~ undertook its first international tour in 1999 with performances and masterclasses in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and returned in 2000 under the State Department’s American Cultural Specialists program. ~AirFare~ has presented sessions for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, the Utah Music Educators Association, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors and the Music Educators National Conference. They won second prize in the National Chamber Music Competition sponsored by the National Flute Association in 2000.

Workshops and residencies in Utah have included Z-Arts! In Springdale, Whitehorse High School in Montezuma Creek, Utah, Nebo District, Box Elder School District, and several other sites. Leslie’s experience with the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program lends an arts integration approach to residencies, performances, and professional development workshops, which are planned in close collaboration with the teachers on site.

Rather than simply playing for young audiences, their school performances and residencies are designed to involve students actively in the performance. Their combined expertise in elementary music, secondary instrumental music, applied teaching and conducting, and teacher preparation allow for residencies to include students and teachers regardless of their previous arts experience.